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UV CURE COATING

PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:28 am
by RHI47
What is kind of uv cure coating do i need to use to clear coat lures with that will cure clear and not be a mate finish

Re: UV CURE COATING

PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 6:08 pm
by Mike - Alumilite
Some people use our Amazing Clear Cast ... find at www.alumilite.com or ... coming soon is a UV Clear Coat that cures much quicker with a black light or UV light. Still in the development stages of this product but will hopefully be released sooner than later.

Mike

Re: UV CURE COATING

PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 11:11 pm
by aka anglinarcher
RHI47, I am going to have a little fun here, so please give me a few minutes. But first, I assume you are asking either because you are having problems or have read on another site that some are having problems.

I have never seen a Big Foot, but there are movies of one just 20 miles from my house. I have never seen Saint Elmo's fire, but sailors have claimed that it exist for hundreds of years. I have never seen, nor do I hear, ghost, but there are TV shows that claim to hunt them. Giant ocean waves have been claimed to exist, as well as giant squid, but .......

OK, now we know that Rogue Waves and Giant Squid do exist; there is proof. So I assume that a UV cure with a matte finish or a haze must therefore exist as well, but I have never seen it. So, when you ask the question of what kind of UV cure do you need, I wonder if the real question is what procedures should you be using? I can only tell you what I do.

Before Alumilite, and that means Mike, the goop man, Faupal, and Larry Dahlberg of Hunt for Big Fish, started working on a UV cure, some of us were experimenting with Solar Res Low VOC Polyester. I know that a lot of people have complained that this material leaves a matte finish or a haze, but I have to really work at getting it with that product. That product has other issues for me, but still....... no haze, no matte finish. So, let me tell you what I do and you can determine if it works for you.

1) I mix the Solar Res product every time I am ready to use it (shake it). It has a wax that will separate and float if you don't; I want a well mixed formula.
2) I never dip, but if I was to dip again, I would not let it drip but brush off the excess. This caused problems for me when it was too thick and it left uncured solvent that damaged lures months after I began using them.
3) I paint the UV cure over the lure and I place it on my lure turner, like I used for EnviroTec or Devecon 2 Ton, but I turn it for a couple of minutes to level, not for hours. If I am in a hurry, I don't put it on a turner but hand turn it to level it out and prevent heavy spots.
4) I use a UV cure light assembly used for UV cure fingernail polish for curing my lures. I stand it on end and hang the lures into it. I turn them every 30 to 45 seconds so that it cures one side and rest the other a little, then turn again. I want to cure the Solar Res about 3 to 6 minutes using this process.

Using the above 4 steps, I do NOT get haze or matte finishes. The gloss finish quality is comparable to EnviroTec or Devcon 2 Ton, but much faster. The finish is also has the gloss quality of Amazing Clear Cast, a product that is soooo much faster then ETec or D2T, but I find still requires a lure turner.

So, for now, I believe the above procedure answers your real question, but .................

Don't get me wrong, Solar Res low VOC Poly is not the answer to every question. When I found out that Mike and Larry were working on something, I was lucky to get a chance to give them input. For example, low VOC does not mean low odor, at least not for me. My wife makes me retire to my man cave with all windows open and an exhaust fan operating to use the Solar Res. The Polyester peels from many surfaces as well. Nevertheless, it is IMHO much better then what we get on mass produced lures.

Now, Mike mentioned that he is hoping to release their product soon. I am one of the lucky few to get a test sample to test. Sorry Mike, but I have to tell them what I have found in the latest sample.

The Alumilite product seems to have jelled some in shipping. It shipped during a cold spell and when it came to me (FedEx) it had some dark spots in it and it was about as thick as Solar Res. I intentionally used a brush and dipped a spot and put it on a silver metal lure lip to see what it was, but the spot went away. Just using the brush seemed to mix it away. Because it was thick, I brushed it onto several sample lures and just hand turned it to level it. I then cured it in my nail cure light. First thing that I should have mentioned was that my wife did not even know that I had opened the can, just no smell.

Next, I tried to peel it from wood, from metal, from plastic, and from my lure paint. It was comparable to the best ETec or D2T finish I have every done. The finish was clear, no matte, no haze. So I took it fishing. Now I am a pretty good caster, but I have a friend that is death on lures. :roll: He broke at least 6 name brand lures that day, but the ones I made survived without serious damage. Additionally, the Solar Rez lures suffered some peel from hitting rocks, but the Alumilite UV cure suffered what at most appeared to be small dents.

Mike told me to heat the Alumilite UV Cure to take it back to the thin condition, but I have not got around to it yet. I wanted to see if setting at room temperature would do it (did not give it time to warm after shipping).

I have several test to conduct, and when Mike has it ready to sell, I intend to upgrade my UV lights. Still, Mike and Larry are on to a real winner. NEVERTHELESS, back to your original question. Will the Alumilite product give a matte or haze? I don't think so, but I have my doubts about ghost also. Only time will tell if an alternate technique will result in a poor finish with the Alumilite UV Cure - only a ghost visit would convince me they exist. :idea:

OK, jokes aside, I do hope this helps some. :P :D

Re: UV CURE COATING

PostPosted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 9:12 am
by dahlberg
hi all
I've got a year into the formula sent to test, and I'm happy with it. We used it over alumifoam for payara and it held up as well one could expect any finish to hold up.
I'm using four plain old 40 watt four foot uv tubes in two shop lights mounted facing each other about a foot apart. I usually dip and drip, or brush it on then turn it by hand for a minute or so while holding it very close to the lights until it no longer sags, then prop it up between the lights for 15 minutes or so and it's ready to go.
I'd say it'll be on the sight soon.
best,
L

Re: UV CURE COATING

PostPosted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:57 pm
by nathan
I'm really excited to give this stuff a try!!..Nathan